61 Champions Crowned at 2018 Sunshine State Games Boxing Championships
FORT LAUDERDALE – The 2018 Sunshine State Games Boxing Championships lived up to its hyped boxing card in South Florida on July 20 and 21 as 76 boxers from throughout the state of Florida and Puerto Rico squared off for titles in their respective divisions over the two-day tournament at the Joseph C. Carter Park Gymnasium in Fort Lauderdale.
Five fights ended with the referee stopping the contest while two technical knock-outs secured victories for boxers.
The first knock out of the Sunshine State Games was collected by Alex Chisholm of KO Fitness Miami. The Hialeah Gardens native forced two eight-counts in the second round before securing the victory with a 10-count knock down of Salud Avila (Palm Beach Boxing) with four seconds remaining in the three-round bout.
Jamari Walters of Coconut Creek was one of the most dominant fighters of the Sunshine State Games as he picked two victories during the championships. Walters powered his way to victory on Friday, collecting the championship’s second TKO when he knocked down Miami’s Henry Antenor for the third and final time two minutes and 11 seconds into the first round of the three-round fight. Walters would go on to win the Youth Men, 201+ lbs. division championship on Saturday, defeating Joseph Bermudez of Hurricane Boxing.
“My goal was to come in, dominate, and go home with the title,” said Walters. “I tried to remain tactical and selective on my punches and react to what jabs were thrown my way. Overall, I’m pleased with how I performed this weekend and will use this platform to seek my next win.”
Of the 38 bouts contested, the lone female fight of the weekend was battled on Saturday afternoon where Carisse Brown of Winter Haven Boxing outlasted Shamara Woods of Orlando to capture the Intermediate 132 lbs. title.
Xander Zayas, a 2017 USA Boxing Junior National Champion, carried home the SSG title in the Junior 132 lbs. division with a decisive victory over Frank Diaz, Jr. (Kangaroo Boxing). The 15-year-old Zayas went toe-to-toe with Diaz for three rounds, landing fierce blows to the chest and head of Diaz in the win.
Ryan Wisdom of Plantation was crowned the Heavyweight champion on Saturday as he defeated Eduardo Suarez (Palm Beach Boxing) in the Novice 201+ lbs. division to close out the event.
At this year’s championship, Team Puerto Rico made the journey northwest to Fort Lauderdale to compete. In total, seven boxers from Puerto Rico competed in the championships where they posted a combined 6-3 record, winning six division titles during the two-day tournament.
In the Junior division, Jose Perdomo (Square Circle Boxing) and Malik Torres Quinones (Puerto Rico) traded victories at 110 lbs. as each fighter picked up a decision in the two bouts, splitting the series. Perdomo opened the Sunshine State Games Boxing Championship on Friday with the victory while Torres Quinones edged out the win on Saturday.
Twenty-three uncontested champions were also crowned during the tournament.
To access a complete listing of the 2018 Sunshine State Games Boxing Championship’s results, click here.
